Japanese born Yuko Ito is an anomaly in the Brazilian field, her heart belongs to Brazil, yet she was born in Japan. Her previous albums Mania De Voce (09), O Cantador (14), and her latest Esperança (17) introduced the vocalist to the jazz and world listener as a seasoned craftsman of the Portuguese language in song. The culmination of her experiences in multiple genres is what gives Ito her recalcitrant verve, along with jazz phrasing that is a hybrid for her distinctly Brazilian releases. Ito states “having been lured by positive lyrics, unique beats and passionate movement,” is what drew her to the Latin-based genre of music. Esperança is a collection of originals and arrangements from the great American Song Book and a Japanese song with Brazilian rhythms. Ito has a unique combination of Brazilian style that is honed through jazz and Japanese folk music. That’s the short of it!

A nice blend of Brazilian, Japanese, and Jazz standards is presented with a stellar ensemble that backs Ito with prodigious solos and rhythmically sound accompaniment. The album is adorned with a combination of original and originally arranged tunes that consociate well with each other as a set.

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Ito is a heartfelt vocalist, that has an adventuresome spirit in her delivery and sense of style. Her interpretations of the classics are impeccably conveyed and the original “Stolen Water” written by Daniel Gielin and arranged by Ito in particular is stunning. Her voice has a velvety relaxed feel, with just the right amount of picante to flavor each track with her originality as an artist.